


Everything To Be Thankful For

by Fluffypanda



Series: They fell for each other in Autumn [2]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Cooking, Kissing, M/M, Pie, Pining, Thanksgiving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-09-02 02:29:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8648272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fluffypanda/pseuds/Fluffypanda
Summary: Steve gets ready for Thanksgiving, there might be some pining involved. Sequel to "Why Tony Stark Hates Autumn, But Loves The Fall"





	

**Author's Note:**

> So, this went in a slightly different direction than I had originally planned. Steve was going to think that Tony was a model, Tony was going to panic because Steve knows he's famous and therefore knows all the bad rumors about him, and it was going to be one big silly misunderstanding between the two of them. I wrote a bit of it like that, but didn't really like it, so this is what happened instead.

The apartment door clicked closed, but Steve’s heart wouldn’t stop racing. He couldn’t believe what just happened, what he just did. Bringing some random hot stranger back to his apartment, talking about his mother, then actually giving the guy, Tony, his favorite sweater.

“Are you kidding me? You turn down all the dates me and Nat set you up with, but you run into some half drowned guy and he gets your mother’s sweater?”

“Come on, it was nothing like that. I was just helping him out. It’s not like we were going to start dating or anything.”

 “You’re lucky I think quickly punk, or you’d never have the chance to see that guy or your sweater again.”

“Enough about the sweater, he needed something to wear and that was the only thing he wouldn’t be swimming in.”

“Stevie, I’ve seen you sleep with that sweater. You love it.”

“It doesn’t matter. I meant it when I said he could keep it, you didn’t need to invite him back here for that.”

“I invited him back because you were mooning over him.”

“I was not.”

“You were falling all over yourself to make things easier for him and you had that look in your eyes, the same one you used on Peggy.”

It was unfair of Bucky bring up Peggy. He knew how much she meant to Steve even now, long after the break up.

“I’m not talking about this.”

Needing to escape the conversation, Steve headed back to his room, but while passing the bathroom, he noticed Tony’s suit was still lying in the tub. He quickly grabbed a hanger from his closet and straightened it out the best he could. It looked like he’d have to take it to the dry cleaner’s after all.

He should let Tony know— He forgot to get Tony’s phone number. He really should have gotten it considering he was supposedly invited for Thanksgiving, but it had been completely forgotten in the shuffle. If Tony came next week, Steve could return it then. If not, then maybe Steve would get lucky and see him in Central Park again.

The possibility was certainly appealing. Tony had been…different was the word Steve wanted to use. It fit better than strange or weird, eccentric almost worked, but there was a certain pathos, a relatability in Tony’s eyes that made a word like eccentric, a word that was somewhat removed from people like Steve, fall a little flat. So Tony was different, in some indefinable way, and Steve liked that.

Even soaking-wet and shivering, Tony had oozed charisma, enough to make his habit of muttering to himself charming. The effect when he was dry and dressed in Steve’s slightly too large clothes had been dangerous for Steve’s heart. Then Tony actually listened to Steve, was interested in what he had to say, and more than that, he seemed to know where Steve was coming from.

 

 

Steve was a little dismayed about the cost of dry cleaning, $15 dollars wasn’t going to starve him, but he could do several loads of laundry for that much. He couldn’t imagine how people could be fine with spending that regularly. The dry cleaner’s reaction to the suit was concerning as well. Apparently it was from some sort of famous brand, or designer, judging by the lecture Steve received. It turns out that leaving suits wet and crumpled in the bathtub was a bad thing.

What kind of man was Tony that he could afford to be that careless? Rich was the obvious answer. Steve stroked the freshly cleaned fabric, marveling at how soft it was. It was some kind of silk and probably cost more than Steve’s yearly rent, not that Steve knew enough about fashion or clothing to make a reasonable estimate.

Steve stuffed the suit in the back of his closet then guiltily straightened it out to prevent wrinkles. He was going to get that suit back to Tony. Closing his closet door, Steve left for work.

 

 

Several days later, Steve decided to paint the image he couldn’t get out of his head: Tony wearing the sweater Steve gave him. He needed to get it down, so maybe it would occupy less space in his head. Steve started to sketch what he wanted the piece to look like, but he couldn’t get Tony’s face, specifically the eyes, right. He filled in the details around them, hoping to gain some clarity. His concentration was interrupted by a knock on the apartment door.

Bucky opened the door for Natasha and Clint, the two office workers from the apartment below. Steve wasn’t sure if they were together or not, Sam insisted they were, while Bucky denied it. Bucky’s opinion on the matter was rather suspect, his crush on Natasha was no secret. Oddly enough, he also flirted with Clint on occasion, or at least that was what Sam called it, it just looked like they were playing darts to Steve.

Steve had called them over to plan Thanksgiving dinner, since all of them were doing it together. Steve liked to have a firm plan of action, which meant planning who would make what and when. They needed to optimize their available kitchen space.

“Okay, I need know what everyone is making and who is shopping. Everyone is going to tell have to tell me what ingredients they need so I can have a grocery list made up by Monday.”

“You can put me down for my usual,” Sam said. “Is your date bringing anything?”

“Who told you about that?” Steve asked, even though he knew it must have been Bucky. “He’s not a date, and I didn’t ask him to bring anything.”

Natasha butted in, “What’s this about a date?”

“He’s just someone I met in the park, Bucky invited him to Thanksgiving. I’m not even sure he’ll show up.”

“He was drooling over the man! I had to do something.”

“We’re not talking about this,” Steve said sternly. “Now, who is going to make the stuffing this year?”

The plans came together smoothly after that, everyone perhaps sensing that Steve wasn’t ready to talk about his potential date. So it was decided, the night before the big day, Clint would be making the stuffing; it was a classic recipe from his home, using pork sausage and cherries. Sam would be baking two pies, pumpkin and pecan. These would be in direct competition with Natasha’s famous apple pie for favorite dessert.

The day of Thanksgiving, Bucky was preparing green bean casserole and mashed potatoes, Sam would be adding candied yams to his contributions, and Steve was making the turkey, gravy, and Brussel sprouts. Clint and Natasha would, by agreement, be doing most of the shopping. Everyone was going to chip in after they decided on a budget.

 

 

The remaining days until Thanksgiving passed in a flash, between his shifts at the art supply store and the preparations for the dinner, Steve didn’t have time to revisit his painting. Admittedly nervous about Tony possibly showing up, Steve went on an apartment wide cleaning spree. He fretted over tablecloths and dishware. He picked out his clothes, with Sam and Bucky’s unsolicited input of course. His hopes soared even though he knew Tony might not even show up.

The night before, while Sam put his pumpkin pie in the oven, Bucky was doing pushups in the living room. Steve stood by with nothing left to do, he was filled with restless energy; he had finished setting the turkey to brine hours ago.

Sam stood up and brushed off some of the flour on his jeans. “So what’s this guy like?”

“He’s hot!” Bucky called from the living room.

“I didn’t ask you!” Sam shot back. “What did you think of him, Steve?”

Steve didn’t answer immediately; he took a second to gather his thoughts, but he shouldn’t have bothered because as soon as he opened his mouth, it ran away from him.

“He’s different. He seemed really smart and chatty, but he listened to me, really seemed to care about what I had to say. He just was so…vibrant? I mean, I barely know him, but that was the impression I got.”

Sam gave him a long measured look. “Hope this works out for you. You deserve someone good.”

 

 

Thanksgiving Day was chaos. Clint and Natasha were already done with their dishes so they came over to help set up while Steve, Sam, and Bucky ran around preparing their own. Natasha was blessedly careful with the china, Steve’s mother’s set, but Steve still worried about something happening, especially with the way Clint was hopping around. Natasha distracted him by ordering him to finish setting the table, something he did quite well, though he insisted on folding all of the napkins into swans.

The turkey was in the oven so Steve moved on to making the Brussel sprouts. The kitchen was a little overcrowded at this point, so Natasha took Bucky down to hers to mash the potatoes. Steve wasn’t sure if that was euphuism or not, but as long as they came back with mashed potatoes he didn’t care.

Clint was getting bored, so Steve had him help with halving the Brussel sprouts. He was admittedly quicker than Steve with a knife, so he also set him to cutting the bacon, shallots and walnuts needed for the recipe. It was a trick avoiding bumping into anyone as they went about cooking.

His eyes were drawn to the clock even though he had no idea when Tony would come, if he even showed up at all. It made for distracted cooking, with Steve constantly having to run back and forth to retrieve ingredients he forgot.

Steve was looking in the pantry for the red wine vinegar when he realized that somehow every single one of them forgot about the cranberry sauce. Leaving Clint to finish the prep work, Steve rushed down to the corner store to buy some.

His purchase in hand, Steve jogged back to his apartment building. From a ways down the street, Steve could see that someone was lingering on the front step, neither leaving nor entering the building. Steve’s heart skipped a beat when the person turned; it was Tony, clutching a paper bag from some bakery. Steve’s appearance seemed to have caught him off guard, he froze mid step with his eyes wide. Even with the look of shock, he was even more gorgeous than Steve remembered.

Steve gripped the can with cold fingers. “You came.”

“I did,” Tony reflexively replied before he broke into a grin. “I couldn’t pass up an invitation like that.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.”

Steve managed not to let his giddiness show as he let the two of them into the apartment building. He wanted to make a good impression, not act like a schoolboy with a crush. He only managed to keep quiet for about as long as it took to hit the stairs.

“I still have your suit, it’s been dry cleaned,” Steve said, turning back to look at Tony.

“You didn’t need to worry about that, I’ve got a million of them,” Tony smoothly replied. “But now that you’ve brought it up, I’ve also got—”

A panicked look crossed Tony’s face and he pulled out his phone. “Jarvis, where’s the sweater?”

Whoever Jarvis was, he must have known what Tony was talking about, because soon Tony replied, “I what?”

Tony adjusted his grip on his paper bag, which was threatening to fall thanks to Tony’s animated way of speaking. Steve imagined that if Tony had free hands, they’d be a great way to tell what was going on in Tony’s head.

“Just have someone bring it over, ASAP.”

“You don’t need to do that. It’s fine if you hold on to it. I don’t want to trouble anyone. Please,” Steve begged.

Biting his lip, Tony peered at Steve, then said, “Never mind, Jarvis. It can stay where it is.”

 

 

Steve cracked open the apartment door and found almost everyone waiting. Someone had taken the turkey out of the oven and a good number of the dishes were already plated and covered in foil to keep them warm.

“Hey, Everyone. This is Tony.” Steve  “Tony, you’ve met Bucky, but this is Sam, Clint, and Natasha.”

“Isn’t he—” Clint started to say, but Sam interrupted.

“Tony, what’s that you have in the bag?”

“Rolls. Someone told me that you’re supposed to bring food to these things, so I picked these up. They’re the best in the city.”

“Wait, guys, that’s—” Clint tried again, this time Natasha started talking over him.

“That’s very thoughtful of you. It’s perfect, no one here made rolls.” She took the bag from Tony, only stopping to glare at Clint before putting it on the counter.

Sam and Bucky went off to the living room to whisper to each other, while Natasha pulled out a bread basket from one of the cupboards. Clint was having a staring contest with Tony. Steve placed the can of cranberry sauce on the table. He was a little off-put by everyone’s odd behavior, but he hardly had time to examine it before a timer went off.

“It’s your demon sprouts, I put them in the oven for you,” Clint said, finally pulling his eyes away from Tony.

Steve turned off the oven and took out the pan of Brussel sprouts. “They’re good for you Clint. Besides they have bacon, there’s no way you’ll hate them.”

“I don’t care how nutritious or bacon-y they are, they’re tiny mutant cabbages and I won’t eat them.”

Humming skeptically in response, Steve started mixing together the vinaigrette. Tony was still standing by the door, looking a little lost. Steve was torn, he wanted to make Tony comfortable, but he also needed to finish his Brussel sprouts, the last dish for the meal. Like an angel, Natasha stepped in.

“I’ll take care of this. You show Tony where he can put his coat.” She barked to Clint, “You. Start carving the bird.”

“Thanks, Nat.”

“Just make sure he’s right for you.”

 

 

Tony’s coat in hand, Steve led Tony over to the living room, where Bucky and Sam had finished their whispering and were now hunched over Sam’s phone together. Both of them looked up at Steve and Tony’s approach, their gazes shifting from Tony to Steve to Sam’s phone. Tony looked a little queasy.

Steve hung Tony’s coat on the rack in the corner and asked Tony, “Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I’m fine. I’m just new to all this. Thanksgiving with my family was pretty different and I haven’t really had one since they died. What am I saying? This isn’t what you want to hear on a day like this—” Tony looked away and ran his hand through his hair.

“Me too actually. After I lost mom, I didn’t really celebrate Thanksgiving…oh but that was really only one year. Bucky’s family started inviting me and then we moved in together and starting having Thanksgiving like this so I guess it isn’t that similar.” Steve could feel the blush heating his cheeks.

“It’s nice. That you guys do this, that is. It makes me wonder why I never tried it with my friends. I mean I know why, but it’s still something I wish we could have done.”

“I see what you mean. Good on you for doing something about it,” Sam said to Bucky.

“I just hope it works out.” Bucky grumbled.

With a suspicious look at his two roommates, Steve frowned. He knew they were talking about him and Tony, but he felt like he was missing something. He wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with what they had been trying to keep Clint from saying. A glance over at Tony didn’t enlighten Steve at all; Tony’s face had dropped the awkward but cute smile it had earlier and gone blank.

“Hey guys! Come and get it!” Clint shouted, louder than necessary. “Nat says I can’t eat until you have food too!”

Despite what Clint said, he was still filling up his plate when Steve got to the kitchen.

“You know, I couldn’t have made those Brussel sprouts without you and Natasha.”

Clint stopped and looked at Steve like he’d eaten something bitter. A small battle of wills later and Clint was scooping the tiniest possible amount of the sprouts on his plate. Steve was willing to call it a victory, once it was on his plate, Clint’s sensibilities wouldn’t let it go to waste.

In the scramble to get food and sit down, Steve ended up across from Tony. Sam was to Steve’s right at the end of the table; Bucky was on Steve’s left across from Clint and next to Natasha. None of them were the type to stand on ceremony, so they just dug in.

 

 

The silence brought on by everyone stuffing their face lasted only about a minute, with Steve being the first to break it.

“So, what am I missing?”

No one answered, instead choosing to avoid Steve’s gaze. Even Tony wouldn’t look his way.

“You’ve all been acting weird since I came back with Tony. I’d like to know why.”

Clint was sending Natasha a pleading look while Sam and Bucky tried to subtly make hand gestures at each other. Steve wished they’d cut it out and just tell him what the heck was going on. He didn’t like it when his friends kept secrets from him.

Surprisingly, or perhaps not, Tony was the one to come clean. “They might have recognized me; I’m a little bit famous.”

“’A little bit famous’ he says. You’re Tony Stark! I’m surprised that Steve hasn’t recognized you, even as obvious as he is about celebrities,” Clint cried. “Your name at least should have been familiar.”

“And that’s why you were acting weird?” Steve squinted at all of them in turn, lingering on Sam and Natasha.

 “I didn’t want to bring it up prematurely. I’ve heard a lot about Tony from the media, but you had quite a different impression of him. I thought he deserved a chance before we brought any of it up,” Sam said.

Natasha nodded. “It’d be a shame to drive off the first person in the past three years that you’ve shown interest in just because of some rumors.”

“Thanks for giving me that chance. I know I don’t have the best reputation when it comes to my love life.”

“You just need to promise to make Steve happy for us,” Bucky growled.

“I can take care of myself.” Steve sighed heavily. “Thank you for the concern though.”

A comfortable level of chatter started up after that, with Tony explaining exactly what kind of work he does and why he’s in the spotlight so often. It really explained a lot about him, from his expensive suit to his odd behavior. Maybe he was better suited to the word ‘eccentric’ than Steve originally thought.

Nothing was more exciting than listening to Tony talk about his inventions though. The look of pure wonder in Tony’s eyes was almost too much for Steve. He loved the way Tony seemed so eager for the future, eager to push the boundaries of what was possible.

Dinner wound down a bit, though the conversation remained lively and eventually Sam decided it was time to break out the desserts. He brought over his offerings while Natasha grabbed hers. They started plating up slices and passing them around.

“Yes! Pie!” Clint shouted. “I love me some apple pie.”

Bucky pointed his fork at Clint. “Are you kidding? It’s Thanksgiving; it’s got to be pumpkin pie.”

Steve silently agreed, taking a bite of his own slice of pumpkin pie. He’d always love apple pie, but the only time of the year he ate pumpkin pie was on Thanksgiving. It was special.

“I love me some pumpkin pie, but ya’ll are crazy if you’re forgetting the pecan pie,” Sam scoffed, slipping into that slight accent he develops when he talks about his family. “My grandma raised me right, and that includes knowing that nothings better than pecan pie.”

“You seem to be suggesting that my bourbon apple pie is anything less than perfect.” Natasha’s steely tone was belied by the playful look in her eyes.

“It’s heaven in a pie tin, there’s no doubt about that, but it just doesn’t say Thanksgiving like a classic pumpkin pie,” Bucky countered.

Steve took another bite of pumpkin pie and enjoyed the look of surprise on Tony’s face when Steve hooked his foot around Tony’s ankle. Tony gave as good as he got though and the ensuing game of footsie didn’t go unnoticed for long.

“What is this? Are you two grade schoolers?” Sam threw his hands up in the air.

Clint edged Bucky with his elbow. “Look what you started; this is how it’s going to be from now on.”

“Don’t look at me. Steve’s the one that dragged Tony home in the first place.”

“Yeah, and I probably wouldn’t have seen him again if you didn’t invite him here today,” Steve said earnestly. “So thanks.”

Pointing his fork at Bucky with a grin, Tony said, “Yes, you have my heartfelt appreciation and everlasting gratitude as well, Buckster.”

“Don’t call me that.”

 

Steve fished around in his closet for Tony’s suit, listening to Tony babble. It was kind of soothing to hear, a constant reminder of Tony’s presence. Steve was a little concerned when the stream of commentary cut off, he turned back to Tony, who had a serious look on his face.

Tony opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, before saying, “So, I was thinking, if you wanted to, we could, you know, go out for some—”

Steve curled his fingers around the front of Tony’s shirt and pulled him in, smashing his lips into Tony’s.

Tony’s gasped in surprise and Steve took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, turning it gentler and sweeter. He let go of Tony’s shirt to wrap his hands around Tony’s waist, all the while he continued to lick into Tony’s mouth. Tony was just as enthusiastically kissing back, like he couldn’t get enough.

His lungs now demanding air, Steve pulled away, but Tony didn’t let him go without a quick bite to Steve’s lower lip. It made Steve never want to let him go, but also grateful for every second he has had so far.

Happy to be there, with his friends, his found family, and most of all Tony, Steve laughed. “I’d love to.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanksgiving is all about the food, so here are recipes and fun facts about everyone's cooking knowledge:
> 
> Steve learned to cook from the internet.  
> <http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/michael-symon/roasted-brussels-sprouts-with-a-bacon-mustard-and-walnut-vinaigrette.html>  
> [http://allrecipes.com/recipe/75431/citrus-turkey-brine/?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=brine&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe](http://allrecipes.com/recipe/75431/citrus-turkey-brine/?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=brine&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe)
> 
>  
> 
> Clint tried to recreate recipes he remembers from his childhood after watching cooking shows.  
> <http://www.food.com/recipe/midwest-sausage-and-dried-cherry-stuffing-78276>
> 
>  
> 
> No one knows how Natasha learned to cook, but she’s scarily good at it.  
> <http://www.food.com/recipe/bourbon-apple-pie-429734>
> 
>  
> 
> Sam learned to cook family recipes from his grandmother.  
> <http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/suzannes_old_fashioned_pumpkin_pie/>  
> <http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pecan_pie/>  
> <http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/candied_yams/>  
>  
> 
> Bucky’s mother taught him how to make a few simple dishes.  
> <https://www.campbells.com/kitchen/recipes/classic-green-bean-casserole/>  
> <http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016898-classic-mashed-potatoes>
> 
>    
> Tony doesn’t know how to cook and his friends ask him to stay far away from the kitchen.
> 
> Update: I wrote a kinda sorta related drabble here: [Steve Finds One More Reason (Or a Thousand) To Love The Fall](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8535535/chapters/28055826)


End file.
